This invention relates to washing machines and, more particularly, to automatic washing machines that have a system for controlling the temperature of fill water introduced into the washing machine tub.
Systems for providing selectable water fill temperatures in, for example, clothes washers are well known. Sophisticated and expensive systems employing temperature sensors and modulated valves have been employed while more economical systems that merely turn on one or both water valves to achieve hot, cold or warm selection have also been employed. There is, however, still a need for an accurate low cost means for controlling fill water temperature. This is particularly true in the case of clothes washers with the popularity of synthetic fabrics that are sensitive to the water temperatures employed. Similar considerations apply in the case of dishwashing machines where, for example, energy conservation is of serious concern. Therefore while the invention will be described in the context of a clothes washing machine, it will be appreciated that it is equally applicable to other water fill washing machines, such as a dishwasher.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a water temperature control system for water fill washing machines that allows the selection of a desired water temperature from a multiplicity of available settings and does so in a low cost and accurate manner.